Green Purchasing
Footprint Focus Area

Green purchasing includes buying products made from recycled content, environmentally preferable products and services, biobased products, energy-and water-efficient products, alternative fuel vehicles, products using renewable energy, and alternatives to hazardous or toxic chemicals. We currently have no organized system for tracking and reporting these purchases.

Quick Links to the topics on this page:

• Goal
• Guidelines
• Letters From Leadership
• Success Stories
• Performance Criteria
• Tools
• Articles
• Presentations
• Links to Other Resources

Goal

Lead: Acquisitions Management

• PROCUREMENT: Expand purchases of environmentally-sound goods and services, including biobased products.
• All purchased goods and services and the performance of our suppliers, contractors, and partners exceed green standards in production, packaging, storage, supply chain and delivery

Guidelines

Executive Order 13423 (2007) requires the following:

• A reduction in the quantity of toxic and hazardous chemicals and materials used by the agency.
• All paper purchased be at least 30-percent postconsumer fiber content.
• Acquiring 95 percent of electronic products as Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool registered products.

Letters From Leadership

October 2007

• 10/18/07 USDA Sustainable Buildings Implementation Plan - ASA Memo [PDF]
  • Enclosure: USDA Sustainable Buildings Implementation Plan [PDF]

September 2007

• 9/17/07 USDA Implementing Executive Order 13423 Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management PDF, 3 pages]

Success Stories

• Read Success Stories regarding Green Purchasing

Performance Criteria

• Example (from R1/R2) - Honor Award Criteria - Sustainability [RTF]

Tools

• BioPreferred Factsheet: Using Your Purchase Card to Buy Biobased Products
• Purchasing An Energy Star Computer - EPA [PDF]
• Shop for Environmental Items Tool
  The General Services Administration’s purchasing web site (www.gsaadvantage.gov) provides a one-stop web location for federal employees to procure product s. Purchasers can use GSA Advantage either to purchase products directly or as a useful resource to determine products that meet the ‘green’ requirements (ENERGY STAR compliant, CPG compliant, or Green Seal Certified).
• 100+ Best Management Practices - Defining What a Green Park Looks Like - National Park Service [PDF, 12 pages, 1.14 MB]
• Biomass Sustainable Food Service Packaging Product List [PDF]

Articles

• 8/01/008 – Government Executive.com – Tracking Greenbacks: Now that a federal program to buy green goods is a reality, Uncle Sam is discovering the difficulty of measuring its results.
• 10/01/07 - Article - Pacific Southwest Research Station goes to Biobased Cutlery [PDF]
• Green and Getting Greener: Tips and Resources [PDF]

Presentations

• Sustainable Operations - Our Environmental Footprint & The Climate Change Connection - Anna J. Jones-Crabtree P.E.; Ph.D.; LEED AP; Sustainable Operations Coordinator; Rocky Mountain & Northern Regions US Forest Service [PDF, 58 pages, 2.12 MB]
• BioPreferred - Making a Difference with Biobased Products [PDF, 16 pages, 218 kb]

Links to other Resources

• Budget Objective Classification Codes [PDF]
  • What are they & why do we, as Sustainability Champions, care?
• Budget Objective Classification Codes (BOCs)
• Green USDA Contacts 2010
• USDA BioPreferred on Twitter
  • BioPreferred is a Federal program that aims to increase the purchase and use of biobased products in the Federal, commercial and consumer markets.
• General Services Administration (GSA)
  • Green Purchasing